C95 Radio Marathon returns to support breast cancer research on Oct. 28

C95 will host its 27th annual C95 Radio Marathon for Breast Cancer Research on Oct. 28, broadcasting live from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Midtown.

The 12-hour event will raise funds for the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan, supporting the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency’s local breast cancer research projects. Since its inception in 2000, the C95 Radio Marathon has raised more than $7.4 million to help support breast cancer research in Saskatchewan.

Read more:

• WeyStrong brings cancer support closer to women in Weyburn
• Sask. mammograms for women 40+ applauded by Cancer Society
• Saskatoon opens new centre to help connect Indigenous women with services

Kerrie Gavin said it felt like time stood still when she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in 2019. She underwent six months of chemotherapy, followed by a double mastectomy. But when her test results came back, they showed the cancer had not responded to the chemotherapy.

“I started all over and did eight more months of chemotherapy, and then (I thought I) was finished,” Gavin said in a statement.

But, just as life began to feel normal for Gavin once again, the cancer returned, this time in her chest wall.

“It was absolutely devastating to be told that news again. It was a struggle to get through all those treatments and the surgeries… so to find out that it’s back again, you feel very defeated,” she said.

Gavin was initially told that she would need to go through 30 radiation treatments, but advances in research produced a new targeted radiation treatment, which meant she would only need 25.

“(That) meant the world to me because that was five less trips to the cancer clinic, and five less trips in that machine, and five less times of your skin burning black,” she said.

Gavin said the impact of research is a personal reminder of why investments into breast cancer research matter.

Nora Yeates, CEO of the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan, said support from donations helps to bring advancements in research and new cancer treatments closer to home.

“Research gives people like Kerrie more options, more hope and more time,” Yeates said in a statement.

“Every dollar raised through C95 Radio Marathon helps support research right here in Saskatchewan, which means progress towards a healthier future for the women we care about – our mothers, daughters, sisters, and aunts.”

The C95 Radio Marathon for Breast Cancer Research was launched in October of 2000, after C95 Morning Show host Lisa Rendall was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.

Rendall shared her story with a positive attitude, humour and sincerity, creating a platform that allowed others to speak openly about their cancer diagnoses. Rendall died on April 13, 2011, but her legacy lives on through the annual radio marathon and the generosity of donors across Saskatchewan.

C95 is the sister station to 650 CKOM.